Carrying Device

ABSTRACT

A support having two extensions which protrude forward on both sides in the final lower region, and an identical shoulder rest form a monolithic plastic hard shell. Vertically adjustable strips that support a waist belt are fixed to the extensions while a should mounting adjoins the shoulder rest via a ball-and-socket joint. The should mounting supports shoulder belt arrangements encompassing one respective top belt and a bottom belt which is joined to the top belt via a buckle, is pulled all the way to the extension through the buckle, and is anchored there. A bag for carrying material that is to be transported is disposed on the front face of the support, in the hard shell, the bag being accessible from the front, while straps for fastening a snowboard, showshoes, a helmet, or other large objects are mounted on the rear face thereof. The position of the objects relative to the body of the wearer is reliably fixed by the stationary or rigid connection of the support to the shoulder belt arrangements and the waist belt.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates to a backpack-like carrying device as used, e.g.,on hiking tours, on bicycle rides or on skiing and snowboard tours.

STATE OF THE ART

Generic carrying devices of the usual type are normally formed asbackpacks made of firm textile material, wherein the front side of thecarrying device in the region of its lower end is provided with acushioned waist belt attached thereto, comprising a central portionsewed to the backpack and lateral portions extending beyond the lateraledges of the backpack, the ends of the lateral portions being adapted tobe fastened to each other by a buckle; the carrying device furthercomprises two stationary cushioning strips extending on the edges of thefront side towards the upper end, which cushioning strips are effectiveto lend the carrying device a slightly more rigid structure and keep thefront side at a distance from the back of the user, allowing for thecirculation of air and thus reducing the development and accumulation ofperspiration. The upper ends of the shoulder belts are arranged to jointhe ends of the cushioning strips while the lower ends of the shoulderbelts are fastened e.g. immediately laterally of the backpack bag in theupper region of the waist belt.

Carrying devices are less suitable for carrying relatively large andheavy objects, such as e.g. snowboards or snowshoes, skis, ski shoes orhelmets, which for lack of space cannot be accommodated within the bagbut have to be fastened to the outer side, particularly the rear side,of the backpack; this is the case because such objects are connected tothe waist belt and the shoulder belts only via the flexible bag so thattheir position is not reliably fixed relative to the these parts whichare firmly attached to the user. Thus, it may easily happen that theobject, e.g. a snowboard, will slide or turn. This may cause animperfect load distribution on the user's back and resultant musculardistortion; further, the object may collide with the user's head orlegs. Since, further, the bag is to be opened on the rear, the contentsaccommodated within the bag will be accessible only with difficultieswhen an object of the above kind has been fastened in this region.Often, such an object must be removed before the bag can be opened.

Similar disadvantages exist in a known generic carrying device (see U.S.Pat. No. 6,179,188 A) comprising a firm but not fully rigid rack whichhas the waist belt and the shoulder belt arrangements directly attachedto its front side while the bag is arranged on the rear side of therack.

Further, smaller carrying devices have been proposed wherein the bag hasfor the most part been replaced by a hard shell and only the front sideis flexible (U.S. Pat. No. 6,179,186 B1, WO 01/97 651). Such devices,however, are not provided with a waist belt and for this reason arealready right away unfit for carrying larger loads. Further, theflexible front side will bear on the user's back in full-faced abutment.Thus, in case of heightened physical stress, considerable perspirationwill accumulate on the user's back and soak his or her clothing. If hardobjects are accommodated, these will possibly be felt through theflexible front side and cause disturbing pressure spots. On the whole,devices of this type are unfit for more-demanding sports activities suchas mountain, bicycle, skiing or snowboard tours.

Further, from U.S. Pat. No. 5,184,873 A, there is known a carryingdevice consisting of two mutually superposed boxlike modules, the uppermodule having its front side provided with vertical cushioning stripsand shoulder belts and the lower module being provided with a cushionedwaist belt. The two modules are connected to each other by aball-and-socket joint. Due to the mobility of the upper module relativeto the lower module, also this device is unsuited for the fastening oflarger objects to its outer side. The subdivided configuration entailsthe further disadvantage that objects of relatively great length cannotbe stored within the carrying device.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the invention to improve a generic carrying device insuch a manner that the device is rendered suitable for carrying largerobjects fastened to the outer side.

The carrying device of the invention makes it possible to fasten alsolarger objects, such as e.g. snowboards or snowshoes, skis, ski shoes,helmets and the like, to the outer side, and to do so to the effect thattheir position relative to parts tightly attached to the user, e.g. thewaist belt, is substantially fixed. Collisions of any one of suchobjects with the user's body and resultant injuries or handicaps arethus widely prevented.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be explained in greater detail hereunder withreference to the Figures which illustrate only one embodiment. In theFigures—

FIG. 1 is a lateral view of the carrying device of the invention,

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the carrying device of the invention,

FIG. 3 is a front view of the carrying device of the invention,

FIG. 4 is a view of an embodiment of a carrying device of the inventionmodified with regard to the shoulder belt arrangements, showing theshoulder belt arrangements in a first setting,

FIG. 5 is a view of the carrying device according to FIG. 4, showing theshoulder belt arrangements in a second setting,

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of a part of a shoulder rest of thecarrying device of the invention, and

FIG. 7 shows an enlarged portion of a sectional view of the carryingdevice of the invention with a hip mounting and a part of a hip rest.

DETAIL DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The carrying device of the invention comprises (FIGS. 1-3) a rigidsupport rack formed as a hard shell of plastic and including a support 1configured as a substantially flat wall which on its sides is slightlybent forward. In the normal position of the carrying device as shown inFIGS. 1,2, which the carrying device will assume when placed on theground and also while being carried, the support rack is orientedlargely vertically with a slight forward inclination.

The lower region of the support 1 is joined by a hip rest comprising twoplate-shaped extensions 2 a,b of a length of about 20 cm which areformed integrally with the support 1 and which, in parallel arrangement,project substantially horizontally in forward directions from thelateral edges of the support. Attached on each of the extensions 2 a,bis a strip 3. The strips 3 form a hip mounting having connected theretoa cushioned waist belt 4 whose inner side forms an abutment face. Thewaist belt comprises a central portion arranged between the strips 3 andbeing joined on both sides by integrally formed side portions, the endsof the side portions being releasably attached to each other by a waistbuckle 5.

In the region of the upper end, the support 1 is joined by a shoulderrest 6 which is also formed integrally therewith, having a length ofabout 20 cm, being slightly obliquely inclined in an upward directionand projecting towards the front; further, the shoulder rest has aroof-like shape. Connected to the shoulder rest via a ball-and-socketjoint 7 is a plate-shaped shoulder mounting 8. On its front side whichserves as an abutment face, the shoulder mounting is cushioned andcarries, on both sides of the ball-and-socket joint 7, respectively oneshoulder belt arrangement consisting of a cushioned top belt 9 and alower belt 10 as well as a buckle 11 connecting them. The lower belt 10is connected to the buckle 11 in such a manner that the length of thebelt arranged between the attachment to the shoulder mounting 8 and thebuckle 11 is adjustable. Thus, the overall length of the loop formed bythe top belt 9 and by said portion of the lower belt 10 is adjustableand can be adapted to the user's needs. The loop is normally dimensionedto pass relatively tightly over the shoulder and under the armpits.Thus, the loop lends a safe hold to the carrying device, allow onlylittle freedom for uncontrolled movements of the device. Due to theball-and-socket joint 7, this will nonetheless cause no substantialrestriction to the mobility of the user.

In the embodiment of the waist belt arrangement shown in FIGS. 4,5, thelower belt 10 has been pulled through the buckle 11 all the way to theend of extension 2 a;b and has its end attached to the upper side of theextension. The waist belt arrangement is adjustable between the firstsetting as shown in FIG. 4. in which the portion arranged between buckle11 and extension 2 a;b is tensioned and the loop is wide, and the secondsetting as shown in FIG. 5, in which the loop is narrow and the portionarranged between buckle 11 and extension 2 a;b is slack.

The first setting is more convenient e.g. when the user moves uphillwith a snowboard fastened to the carrying device because the pull in therearward direction at the shoulder is slightly reduced and the supportrack is more tightly fixed to the user. The circumstance that theflexibility of the back is somewhat more restricted will hardly causedisturbances when moving up-hill. The second setting is better suitedfor downhill movement because the flexibility of the back is hardlyrestricted. The lower belt 10 is fixed at the buckle 11 in such a mannerthat it cannot be shifted by a pulling force alone but only byintervention of the user. In both embodiments, the two shoulder beltarrangements can be connected by a chest belt extending horizontallyalong the front.

The space between the support 1 and the mountings arranged at distancesfrom the latter, the hip mounting and the shoulder mounting 8—whichspace is partially enclosed by the support 1, the extensions 2 a;b ofthe hip rest and the roof-like shoulder rest 6 which together form anintegral bowl-like part while, however, being largely freely accessiblefrom the front and the sides—is partially filled by a bag 12 fastenede.g. by belts to support 1 on whose front side it abuts while alsoresting on bent-in bottom portions of the extensions 2 a,b. The bag isdimensioned to the effect that it will not fill out the space completelyand thus be arranged at a distance from the user's back in all places.The front side of the bag has an opening 13 formed therein which iscloseable e.g. by means of a zipper so that, when the carrying devicehas been taken off, the contents of the bag are directly accessible,irrespective of whether or not objects are fastened to the rear side ofsupport 1. Further, the bag can be provided with separate pockets whichare accessible from all sides.

The support 1 comprises, on its rear side in the region of its upper endand its lower end, respectively one transverse fastening strap 14 and15. The fastening straps 14 and 15 can be used for strapping largerobjects such as snowboards, skis, snowshoes, ski shoes, helmets, a bagor container to the support rack and thus fasten them safely andsubstantially without leaving clearances. Laterally attached to theextensions 2 a,b are additional fastening straps 16 on which furtherobjects such as e.g. bottler holders, spring safety hooks, cameras etc.can be suspended while keeping them accessible also without taking offthe carrying device. Another fastening strap 17 is attached in the upperregion of the shoulder rest 6. In addition, fastening straps can beprovided also laterally on the shoulder rest 6. In this case, also skiscan be attached by strapping them into place on the sides.

The ball-and-socket joint 7 between the shoulder rest 6 and the shouldermounting 8 is illustrated in FIG. 6. The shoulder rest 6 comprises acentrally arranged socket 18 forming a concave, sphericallycalotte-shaped outer joint face. Opposite thereto, the shoulder mounting8 has a head portion 19 integrally formed thereto, constituting acorresponding semispherical convex inner joint face arranged in abutmentwith the outer joint face but being slightly larger so that the headportion 19 can be turned through a limited spatial angle relative to thesocket 18. Centrally in the inner joint surface, a circular recess 20 isprovided, with a wall 21, having the shape of a conical shell, extendingfrom the edges of the recess. Wall 21 is interrupted below the tip ofthe cone and thus, in this region, is formed with a hole locatedsubstantially in the center of the inner joint face, while another holeis formed opposite thereto in the center of socket 18.

Passing through the two holes is an elongate connection member 22, e.g.a length of wire or preferably a pin, provided with abutment members23,24 which, respectively on the outer side, extend laterally beyond theholes so that the connection member 22 is effective to hold theball-and-socket joint together. The abutment member 23 arranged on theouter side of the socket 18 is configured to be displaced on theconnection member 22, e.g. is formed as an internally threaded nutengaging a threaded portion of connection member 22. By shifting theabutment member 23, the press-on force between the outer and inner jointsurface can be adjusted, thus allowing for adjustment of the resistanceof the ball-and-socket joint 7 against rotation. It is also possible toremove the abutment member 23 completely whereupon the shoulder mounting8 can be taken off. Of course, instead of the abutment member 23, it canalso be the abutment member 24 which is formed to be adjustable andremovable.

The anchoring of the strips 3 of the hip mounting to the ends of theextensions 2 a;b of the hip rest is configured to allow for heightadjustment of the strips. For this purpose, it is provided that, alongthe linear, substantially vertical edge at the end of the extension 2a—the connection between the extension 2 b and the corresponding stripis configured identically—a number of mutually equidistant holes 25 arearranged while the corresponding strip 3 is also formed with a hole at amedium height, which hole is arranged in congruence with one of theholes 25. Arranged to extend through these holes is a bolt 26 which isfixed by a nut. After removal of the bolt 26, the strip 3 can bedisplaced, another one of the holes 25 can be brought into congruencewith the hole in the extension 2 a, and the bolt 26 can be passedthrough and be fixed again. In this manner, the distance of the waistbelt 4 from the shoulder belt arrangements can be adapted to the lengthof the user's back.

Numerous modifications of the described embodiment are possible withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. Thus, for instance, thesupport can be perforated in the manner of a frame, or the shoulder restcan be can have a bracket-like configuration. If no larger object isfastened to the support, the bag is accessible also from behind and fromabove, respectively, and can also extend beyond the support towards therear or upwardly, particularly when the bag has been filled to aconsiderable extent. It is also possible to provide bags of differentsizes for exchange, for instance—in case of a frame-like configurationof the support—a smaller bag for day-trips, which on the rear side doesnot project beyond the support and thus will not impede the attachmentof an object there, and a larger bag for several days' excursions, whichdoes project on the rear side. In the latter case it may happen,depending on the circumstances, that larger objects can be attached onlyon the sides of the support. Further, it is possible to provide aplurality of bags and pockets for alternative or simultaneous attachmenton the support. It is essential that the hip mounting and the shouldermounting, at any rate their abutment faces provided to abut on theuser's body, are arranged with sufficient distance, normally about 10 cmto 25 cm and preferably 15 cm to 20 cm, in front of the support so thatthe user will not collide with them and will not be impeded in his orher movements. The hard shell construction can also be replaced by arack structure consisting of rods or hollow rods made of metal. Insteadof a ball-and-socket joint, an elastic connection or, depending on thecircumstances, a linear joint can be provided. It is also possible,should this appear more beneficial with regard to the prevailing usageand the kinds of motions associated with that usage, to form the hipmounting as one integral part and to couple the same via a joint, e.g.again a ball-and-socket joint, to a hip rest formed e.g. in the mannerof a bracket. In case of such a provision, however, it is advisable thatthe shoulder mounting is rigidly connected to the shoulder rest toensure a sufficient fixation of the position of the support rack. Alsothe height adjustment of the waist belt can be realized by aconstruction different from the one mentioned above.

1. A carrying device, comprising a bag for accommodating objects to becarried, a waist belt and two shoulder belt arrangements, characterizedin that said device comprises a rigid support rack including asubstantially vertical support and a hip mounting arranged in the regionof the lower end of the support at a distance from the support andhaving the waist belt connected thereto, and a shoulder mountingarranged in the region of the upper end of the support also at adistance from the support and having the shoulder belt arrangementsattached thereto at least on one of their ends while the bag is fastenedto the support rack in such a manner that the bag is arranged at leastpartially spaced in front of the support but does not extend beyond thehip mounting and the shoulder mounting.
 2. The carrying device accordingto claim 1, wherein the hip mounting and the shoulder mounting arerespectively spaced from the support by at least 10 cm.
 3. The carryingdevice according to claim 1, wherein the hip mounting is attached to ahip rest which comprises preferably two extensions projecting in asubstantially parallel arrangement from the sides of the support towardsthe front.
 4. The carrying device according to claim 1, wherein theshoulder belt arrangements respectively comprise a top belt and a lowerbelt which are anchored at the shoulder mounting, and that,respectively, the top belt is connected via a buckle to the lower belt,and that the overall length of the portion of the top belt arrangedbetween the shoulder mounting and the buckle and of the portion of thelower belt arranged between the shoulder mounting and the buckle can beadjusted at the buckle.
 5. The carrying device according to claim 4,wherein the lower belt is arranged to extend, via the buckle where itcan be fixed, to an anchoring site arranged in the region of the lowerend of the support rack.
 6. The carrying device according to claim 4,wherein the shoulder mounting is fastened to a shoulder rest tightlyconnected to the support.
 7. The carrying device according to claim 1,wherein the shoulder mountings or the hip mounting is articulated to thesupport.
 8. The carrying device according to claim 7, wherein saidarticulated connection is realized by a ball-and-socket joint.
 9. Thecarrying device according to claim 8, wherein the ball-and-socket jointcomprises a socket with a spherical concave outer joint surface, and ahead portion with a convex inner joint surface arranged in abutment withthe outer joint surface, which head portion can be turned through alimited spatial angle relative to the socket, and further an elongateconnection member which, via a recess formed in the inner joint surface,connects the socket to the head portion where the connection member isanchored in the region of the center of the inner joint face.
 10. Thecarrying device according to claim 9, wherein the pressure exerted bythe outer joint surface on the inner joint surface is adjustable byvarying the anchoring connection of the connection member, preferably atthe socket.
 11. The carrying device according to, claim 1, wherein thewaist belt is height-adjustable relative to the support.
 12. Thecarrying device according to claim 1, wherein the support is formed as asubstantially planar wall member having the bag arranged on its frontside.
 13. The carrying device according to claim 3, wherein the support,the hip rest and the shoulder rest are integrally formed in ashell-shaped configuration.
 14. The carrying device according to claim1, wherein the support has its rear side provided with at least onefastening strap arranged respectively in the region of the upper end andthe lower end of the support.
 15. The carrying device according to claim1, wherein the bag is provided with at least one closeable opening onits front side.
 16. The carrying device according to claim 2, whereinsaid hip mounting and the shoulder mounting are respectively spaced fromthe support in the range between about 15 cm to 20 cm.
 17. The carryingdevice according to claim 14, wherein said fastening strap is at leastone transverse fastening strap.
 18. The carrying device according toclaim 6, wherein the support, the hip rest and the shoulder rest areintegrally formed in a shell-shaped configuration.
 19. The carryingdevice according to claim 12, wherein the support, the hip rest and theshoulder rest are integrally formed in a shell-shaped configuration.